Title: Proteolytic Enzymes and Their Inhibition in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
VOLUME: 1 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):A. McDonnel Smedts, T. E. Curry Jr. and W. J. Murdoch
Affiliation:Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (A.M.S., T.E.C.), University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY40536 and Reproductive Biology Program (W.J.M.), University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
Keywords:matrix metalloproteinase, urokinase, kallikrein, ovarian cancer, protease inhibitor
Abstract: Common (surface) epithelial cancer of the ovary is epitomized by metastasis to organs of the abdominal cavity. Proteolytic enzymes, predominately those of the matrix metalloproteinase and plasminogen activator-plasmin systems, have been implicated as mediators of tissue invasion. This review highlights the salient features of ovarian cancer progression, the proteases involved, and experimental approaches of inhibition. Enzyme inhibitors hold promise in the treatment of early-stage and recurrent (following cytoreductive surgery) disease.
